Crimson Accomplice
by Venus Hoshi
Summary: When Sebastian is ordered to work a case with Grell, will Grell's feelings for a certain red head get in the way of completing the case?
1. NIghtmares

**Chapter One: Nightmares**

It was a regular day working on the Queen's cases. My master, Ciel Phantomhive, sent me into town to find out about his current case. The only information we had so far was that young men in their twenties had been declared missing without a trace. I was heading to the Undertaker's to see if he had any leads or information on the missing. As I jump on a neighboring roof, close to the Undertaker's, I caught a glimpse of familiar crimson hair. The annoying reaper looked as if he was struggling, collecting the cinematic record of a recently deceased young lady. I stopped to watch as he finally finishes his job, looking extremely tired and not his normal flamboyant self. I bound over to him, seeing if he could hold some key to tie the case together. As I approached, he tenses.

"Why, hello Sebastian," he says with fake enthusiasm, without even turning to look at me.

"Evening, Grell. I was wondering if…" I pause, taken aback by his stance and melancholy inflections. "Is something wrong?" His green eyes dart to mine, searching for answers that have been troubling him.

"How do you know something is wrong?" he remarks, concerned. He nervously looks away, crossing his arms defensively.

"You are lacking your usual 'Je ne sais quoi'." I state. He looks back at me in defeat.

"I have just been having these nightmares is all." He answers matter-of-factly.

I am intrigued that he did not try to fight me. "Oh? What about?" I ask determined. Maybe if I know what scares him, I could use his fears to get answers out of him later.

"Oh, um…well." He says nonchalantly. "Could we go someplace more ...private?" He smirks.

"Grell, I do not have time for your continuous passes at me. If you do not intend to tell-."

"No, I do. Just not…'out in the open'" he scans the area for anyone nearby that may be listening. Once he assumes no one will be following, he starts west.

I follow him from a distance, wondering if taking the time to talk to the redheaded reaper will be worth it. We come to a large condo and I look up at the old, dark building questioningly. He brought me back to _his_ place? "Honestly, I do not have time for this." I mutter under my breath.

He leads me up to the third and final floor. We walk down a long hallway and he stops at the end of the hall, and pulls out some keys. The key he uses is in the shape of a chainsaw. How predictable. He opens the door and steps inside, expecting me to follow.

The hallway is bland and boring but just on the other side of the doorway, extreme space and under-worldly elegance waits. His walls are adorned with red and black rose wallpaper. The carpet is the color of dried blood, with the slight metallic smell of the inspiration for the carpet color hanging in the air. Old antique furniture that is in pristine condition decorates the large sitting room. Colorful paintings of death and intricate sculptures scatter their influence around the room. "You have quite a taste in interior design." I smile slightly as the red-haired man blushes from the middle of the room.

"Would you like some tea?" He squirms from his spot, clearly not used to having company.

"No. That is quite alright." He crosses to an 18th century chair and takes a seat. I, however, choose a small loveseat closest to the door. I put my hands together and place them in my lap. I wait for him to begin but he just fidgets across from me."Grell, I do have business I must-" I start but the crimson reaper cuts in.

"I know. I'm just trying to…collect my thoughts." His face contorts as he ponders how to start. I drum the back of my hand with my fingers and impatiently clear my throat.

His eyes dart around the room and, after moments of involuntary sighs, he finally begins."You know Madame Red and I worked together on that string of London murders a while back?" He says sheepishly. I nod and gesture for him to get to the point. "I keep having nightmares, _flashbacks_, about the murders. The dreams start out as memories, simply replaying the scenes in my mind, but right as Madame Red goes in to cut into the out-of-her-wits victim, things morph. _I _become the victim. _I_ become the terrified person who is going to get ripped open. It always ends with me looking into Madame Red's confused and frightened eyes as she tries to stop herself, noticing that I'm no longer standing next to her. She never can seem to stop herself though. I feel the blade pierce my skin, intense pain, and then…darkness." The effeminate man shifts uncomfortably.

"What do you think is evoking these hallucinations?" I ponder. I rub the bridge my nose, challenging my sanity in coming here.

He jerks his head side to side and continues. "I…I am not sure but I do have a strange feeling about it though. I feel almost as if Madame Red isn't entirely gone." The red cloaked brute somewhat shudders at the thought.

"Madame Red was a mere human. How could she survive a fatal blow right through her body with an enhanced grim reaper's scythe?" I ask inquisitively.

Grell stands up and rushes to his room. He returns in a breath, wielding a black and silver scrapbook with old articles and newspaper clippings spilling out. He places the mess of papers on the coffee table and quickly flips to a page with Madame Red's picture plastered in a _Shinigami Realm News_ bulletin. A headline reads, _"Human shatters souls!"._ Grell turns a page, revealing the list of the ten most wanted people in the shinigami realm outlying some of the most infamous rogue reapers surrounded in handwritten letters from Angelina Durless herself.

I examine the _Most Wanted_ poster closely. Number eight on the list reads:

Angelina Durless

Wanted for being the only human to successfully render a soul unattainable

Reward!

I contemplate how a human could possibly figure out how to rip a soul. Even reapers need a specialized weapon to tear a soul from its body. How could a lowly human, Ciel's aunt, estimate the right precautions as to not put herself at risk in the process?

I begin racking my brain for any possible explanation when Grell lays a wad of rolled up pounds on the table. My eyes widen as the realization hits.

"You killed her for-" A hurt, almost remorseful look crosses the feminine man's face.

"Yes." He shakes his head and clears his throat. "I had to take her out. She was a major threat. But I-"

"You regret it?" I finish.

"Well…" He stands, closing the book and retrieving the money from the table. He crosses the room and places the things on a small table next to his chair and his takes his seat again. "I was-am" He corrects himself before continuing, "confused about my feelings on this case."

"You were assigned to take on a case not directly associated with the reaping of a soul?"

He stirs."Well, yes. It is not common but on rare occasions, when certain.. _challenges.._ present themselves, reapers are forced to get to the bottom of the strange occurrences, as to halt any unregistered should collection. Or, in this case, the total destruction of souls."

"Why were you chosen for this specific case?" I interrogate impatiently.

He smiles slightly. "We both have our crimson locks. It was only natural for me to be chosen for a lengthy case with an unnatural flamboyant human that was Angelina." His smile twists into a sneer. His plump pink lips outline his shark like teeth. His eyes drop from mine to the scrapbook in front of him, "also, our pasts tied us together as well. We were destined for each other."

"Your... _pasts_? As a reaper, your past, and future, is merely to reap and harvest the souls on the To Die ledger. How could your pasts possibly be the same?"

"My past as a human. " He shivers as the air thickens. I raise an eyebrow as he twirls his thumbs. I know nothing of the small reaper's human life. Honestly, I had never thought about it. However, seeing Madame Red's cinematic record on that fateful night, I can't possibly believe that he has a similar story.

"What do you mean your pasts link you two together?"

He sits up in his chair a little straighter. "It's simple. You saw her cinematic record. You know."

"But, I don't understand." My finger twitches as I wait for him to respond.

He sighs and looks out a nearby window. "It was a long time ago. None of it really matters now. I just can't shake the feelings that she is still… _around_." He rubs his eyes a bit and looks back in my general direction. He clearly was looking at me, but through me. His eyes glaze over at the remembrance of his short lived partner.

"It does matter. It all matters if I have ever going to get a bloody break in the case." My eyebrow twitches in annoyance. The trance Grell was in breaks and he shoots me a hurt look but then a sad understanding washes over his face.

"Oh, right. The brat's case. What is it this time?" he asks with innocent curiosity. I open my mouth to answer when there is a knock at the door. Grell gets up, rather confused at who could be visiting him in the middle of a work day. He opens the door to find Ronald Knox, leaning on the doorframe and panting.

_Authors' Note: First time trying a mystery. I hope you all enjoy! Please leave reviews and don't be shy, PM me! :D_


	2. A break

**Chapter Two: **

"What is devil, Ronnie?" Grell pulls the blonde in by his elbow and fetches him a glass of water. The young reaper gulps it down and stands up fully, still panting. "What is wrong?"

The boy gasps for breath. That, in itself, tells me that he must have been running rather quickly. Reapers can run for miles and not get tired. How far had he come and what was purpose for barging in like that? Still trying to calm himself, he walks into the sitting room and his eyes land on me. They widen and he jumps in front of Grell protectively, pinning him against the wall.

"What…the…why…why?" He holds up a finger and slumps over, breathing heavily. Grell slides out from the death pin that Ronald had him in and walks around the exasperated younger reaper.

"Calm down Ronnie. He is just here to get information about a case he is working on." He carefully avoided telling him about his nightmares. I could tell that I was the only one he voiced his concerns to because his demeanor changed while opening the door. Grell lightly rubbed the teenaged reaper's back as he caught his breath.

I stand up and turn towards the chaotic scene. "Precisely. I am here to collect information on a case. I was just about to explain it if you care to hear." Ronald straightens up and shoots a look at his senior. Grell gave a small smile and offered him a seat.

"Lately there have been multiple kidnappings in the area. All in their twenties. But what is strange is that they are all male. And not one clue is left behind. It is as if they just vanish."

Ronald, now calmed down, raises his hand shyly.

"Yes, Knox?" I rub the bridge of my nose in frustration.

"I may have some useful knowledge on that." He looks at Grell as if asking if he is allowed to reveal shinigami intelligence on open cases. Grell shrugs his shoulders and looks back at me. Ronald took that as his answer and continues. "There have been names disappearing off of our To Die ledgers within the past couple days. All of men. I asked William about it and he told me that there is someone or some_thing_ ripping their souls. Tearing them. They cannot be collected after that, therefore they are taken off our ledger." He looks perplexed and as if he is going to pass out.

"Do you have any idea why something like this would be happening? Or even anyone capable of doing this?"

He swallows hard and looks at Grell curiously. "Well, only one."

Grell speaks up at last. "Who?"

A nauseated look passes over his face and he drops his daze from his senior's eyes. "Angelina Durless." He practically whispers. Grell gasps slightly and shoots his gaze at me. Ronald excuses himself as he gets up to go to the bathroom. From the look on his face, it is going to be a while.

"He must really not be feeling well." I state with mock concern. I notice Grell did not defend his friend so I look to him. His head is slumped with tears lightly falling on his gloved hands. "This might explain why you feel she is not completely gone." He neither says anything nor looks up. I sit down waiting for him to say something. After a moment I hear the reaper stirring down the hall. "You need to get yourself together. He has no clue about your nightmares and if he sees you crying, he will blame it on me."

He looked down the hallway with scared eyes and stands up. He crosses to the kitchen, wets a towel, and washes his puffy, tear-stained face. "Do you think Madame Red could still be alive?" He manages to cough out.

"I hate to say it but I honestly don't know. I thought it was impossible for a human to figure out how to split a soul but I was wrong about that." I cringe at the thought of the unknown. I have been alive for centuries and nothing like this has ever happened. How is it even possible to tear a soul without a specialized reapers scythe? Reapers themselves are powerless without them.

There is a large bang and a grunt from down the hall. "Ronnie!? Are you okay?" Grell runs down the hall and knock on the bathroom door.

"Um…Yeah mate! Just….slipped." He coughs a bit, trying to get the air back in his lungs. "Um…senpai?" Grell inches closer to the door.

"Yeah Ronnie?" He glances at me then looks back at the door.

"Do you have any bandages? I must have…" His voice trails off and the unmistakable scent of reaper blood hits me.

"He is bleeding. Badly." I say nonchalantly.

Grell starts banging on the door fervently. I advance down the hall and arrive next to the crimson mess of a man. The door opens to expose the blonde reaper on the bathroom floor holding his right temple as his blood drips off of his chin. Grell bounds over to him and kneels down, getting the boy's blood all over the dainty reaper's flashy clothes. You can barely tell due to him always being clad in the color but as the blood dries, there is a slight difference in shade.

Grell scrambles for a cabinet nearby. Medical supplies overflow out of the cabinet as he goes to open it. He blushes a bit and clears his throat. "You never know." He digs through the stock of bandages and braces and pulls out an unnecessarily large first aid kit. He quickly cleans Ronald's one inch cut and wraps it in gauze. He finally cleans the remaining blood off of his patient. The color slowly returns to Grell's face as he stands and tried to help the blonde reaper up off the floor. His face contorts and he passes out, hitting the floor hard.

"Well, hell." Grell peels Ronald off the floor and starts to drag him out of the bathroom. "I could use a little help here."

In one movement, I pick up the limp teen and Grell leads me to a bedroom off of the sitting room. I lay him on the bed and Grell sits down next to him and puts a hand on his head gently.

"He should be fine. It was just a bump." He stands up and returns to his chair in the sitting room. "So you think Madame Red could be the cause of this?" He asks nervously.

"From the looks of it, it seems that she is a likely culprit."

"How could this be though?"

I take a minute to think and come up with a possible answer. "Thinking back on that night, you never technically collected her soul, did you?"

His eyes widen and shock overcomes his voice. "Hell, I didn't!" He throws his head into his hands and starts rocking and mumbling to himself.

"Are cinematic records powerful enough to create itself a physical form?"

"No one knows." He says angrily. "No one bloody _KNOWS_!" He lifts his head and stands up. In his rage, he furiously swats through the air as he talks. "That's just it, isn't it? Something like this has never happened before so no one would know! They are powerful enough to put up a fight but no reaper has ever let a cinematic record run wild before." He looks down, his crimson hair covering every inch of his face. "Of course, it had to be me." He mumbles under his breath harshly.

There was a slight grunting noise coming from the bed. I turn around to fine Knox clumsily sitting up, holding his head and mumbling profanities. "Ey, mate, what happened?"

Grell hurries over and sits next to the disheveled Knox. "You bumped your head and then passed out." He shoots Grell a concerned yet curious look.

"Really?" Grell nods slightly. The room falls silent as we all process the awkward situation. "Well, looks like I was the life of the party." He chuckles.

"We were just talking about the case." Grell whispers. Both reaper look at me expectantly.

"Well all a cinematic record is is a collection of memories, so it could only go where it knows." My body tenses and the reapers stand.

"She can only be in one place." We all say in unison.

"Ronnie, you should stay here."

And at that, the red reaper and I take off towards the Phantomhive estate.

_Author's note: Sorry that this chapter is a little short of 1,500 words (that is my goal for each chapter of this story). Also, I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't that good. It changed direction on me._


	3. First Blood

**Chapter Three: First Blood**

"Where the bloody hell are we, Sebastian?" Grell calls after me.

"We are taking a short cut." I dart to my left, narrowly avoiding a chimney. The reaper, however, crashes right into it with a loud thud.

"Ouch, Bassy! Why didn't you warn me!?" He cries out angrily and pouts as he stands. He continues to trail me and rubs his cheek.

"You are a grim reaper. Shouldn't you have enough sense to maneuver your own way around the roofs of London?" I crack a smile as the image of the small reaper colliding with the solid brick chimney replays in my mind.

As we arrive at the Phantomhive manor, I come upon Finnian chasing the hellhound around the yard and a fairly large explosion come from the kitchen.

"Everything seems to be in order." I mumble to myself. I rub the bridge of my nose in preparation for the oncoming list of chores I must do in order to make up for the lack of housekeeping skills of the help.

When we approach the door, it swings open as Mey-Rin hurries out, looking behind her, and runs straight into my chest. She falls on the ground and looks up at me sheepishly.

"Sorry, Sebastian. I was running to help Finny, I was." She remarks in her usual tone. I sigh and extend a hand to her. She blushes and tries to suppress the embarrassed noises she always makes. She takes my hand and I help her up. She quickly straightens her thick-rimmed glasses and hurries off.

"What a weird one," Grell declares from behind me.

"It's funny; she says the same thing about you." I state and stifle a smirk.

I bound up the stairs and into the drawing room. My master is always there at this hour. I open the door to reveal an empty room.

"Where is the little earl?" Grell sneers.

"I…I don't know. He is always here during this time. He takes his paperwork in the drawing room for his afternoon tea." I stammer. Where could my young lord be at this hour? And without me? Grell scoffs and turns to head back down the stairs.

"We need to find Angelina."

Grell stiffens at the thought of seeing his crimson accomplice again. "I know, I know. But we have to make sure the brat is safe first. She almost killed him last time they were together."

"Yes, but if you remember, she wouldn't go through with it. That's when you killed her."

"Yes. I remember." He states sadly then sighs. "So she poses no real treat to the boy."

"Actually, not true. This is her cinematic record. Not Madame Red herself. So it is plausible that the raw emotions do."

I quicken my pace to find out the whereabouts of my master when I nearly run over Bardroy.

"Ey, What's the meaning of this…Oh, Sebastian. It's you." He stumbles backward. The pans he was carrying go flying through the air. In one fluid motion, I catch every last pot and have them perfectly balanced on my left hand. Bard starts clapping idiotically and Grell squeals with adoration.

"Oh, Bassy! What a marvelous display!" He purrs and dances slightly.

"What kind of a butler would I be if I could not stop something from falling?" I smirk.

"Ey, why are you here? I thought the master sent you out to find out information about a case you was workin' on?"

"Ah, yes. You see, the new data I collected leads me to believe that our young lord may be in trouble. That is why I have come back here. Do you know where he might be?"

"I saw him leavin' with a pretty young thing not too long ago. He and Lady Elizabeth have a picnic planned or somethin'. Eh, what kinda trouble do you think he's in, Sebastian?"

"I'm not quite sure just yet. Grell and I are going to investigate. I leave the manor to Tanaka for now. Don't disappoint."

"Ey, sir." He stands at attention and salutes me before chewing on his cigarette. I hand the cookware over to the bumbling fool of a chef and he clumsily positions them in his arms. We exit the manor and start towards town.

"What a disgusting habit, smoking is." Grell wrinkles his nose.

"One that is not so easily broken." I add.

As we enter the streets, carriages bustle around the city and the humans make menial small talk while browsing the markets.

"Where do you think they would go for a midday picnic?" Grell annoyingly asks as we stop in front of the Undertaker's.

"I am not sure, though I have a feeling he might." Grell spins around and his eyes widen as he takes in where we are.

"Why are we here?! Why would this idiot know where he is?!" He angrily pouts.

"Though my master is not particularly fond of him, he usually wields useful information." I hold back a smile. "It looks like you have something in common with my lord after all."

He stomps his foot and breaths out heavily, crossing his arms to show his stubbornness. We enter the Undertaker's and are greeted by the smell of embalming fluid and the sound of his familiar snickering.

"Welcome funny butler. And _friend_." He snickers and Grell lets out an annoyed sigh.

"We are looking for my young lord. Have you happened to see him today?" I ask, cutting all the useless bickering between reapers.

The gray haired fellow shifts from his place and lets out a long series of laughs. "Why, yes. He has just been here not long ago asking about some young men that've gone missin'. Seems like it was real important to him. He had a pretty young lady with him too. His betrothed, I supposed." He draws out every word as if it is a question.

"Yes, Lady Elizabeth. Do you know where they were headed when they left?" I ask impatiently.

"Said something about a river with a white stag. One that grants happiness. Heh." He chuckles.

"Ah." I face Grell. "I know where they must be." I look back at the strange man. "I appreciate you eagerly keeping tabs on my master."

"He is unique indeed. I can't wait to have him as a guest. He is very…special." He giggles.

"Indeed. Very unique." I turn to leave as Grell fidgets.

With a concerned look on his pale, feminine face, he speaks up. "What _do_ you know about the missing men case?" He glances at me with determined eyes and resumes staring at the grey reaper.

"The men seem to be disappearing without a trace, but.." His usually playfully tone falls. "there seems to be a connection."

Grell twitches uncomfortably next to me. "What is the connection? I thought they were all random."

"All of the missing had recently lost their brides." He snickers. "I had the grace of taking in one girl. I met the man just before he disappeared."

"How long had it been until he went missing?" I ask.

"Oh, only a couple minutes." He laughs. "I went to call him back in and he was gone. The next mornin' he was the headline in the paper."

"Did he seem to be acting weird?"

"He was extremely sad. Came in cryin'." He giggles

"BAKA! He had just lost the love of his life!" Grell angrily shouts. The grey reaper chuckles.

"We must be going Grell." I state. Grell turns on his heels and huffs out the door.

I follow him out and just as we reach the sidewalk, I hear a scream. We both turn in the direction of the noise and charge toward it. We get closer and turn the corner into an alleyway with barely any light. Just as my eyes adjust to the dim light, I see a man getting ripped from his spot and hoisted high into the air. The man's scream was cut off by a black chord that wrapped around his neck, ripping into his flesh.

A high pitched laugh covers the gargling of the man drowning on his own blood. It sounds feminine but with deep undertones. The source of the laughing isn't in sight and I can't seem to pinpoint a direction either. It's as if it is all around me, invading every open area in the alley.

"Show yourself, you coward!" Grell screams angrily. The black ropes turn their attention in his direction and shot at him. He stumbles backward and turns to run. The chords wrap around his ankle, catching him mid-run. He trips and falls face down. The chords start dragging him towards the hanging man until they morph into a black mist and disappear. Grell tries to stand up but just fumbles at my feet. Another low throaty chuckle fills the air and the limp body of the man vanishes, returning the alley to its initial state. Grell stands and brushes off his clothes.

"What the bloody hell was that all about!" He declares as if the person behind it is standing right in front of him. He spins around to face me when a familiar laugh comes from behind a dumpster. The red reaper whips around to see his junior, Ronald Knox, approaching from the shadows with his death scythe drawn and a malicious smile plastered on his face.

_Author's Note: Sorry it took so long to post this chapter, I have been really busy and not too terribly happy with how this chapter came out. Please Review and PM me. It is my encouragement to keep going!** Chapter 4:The Past COMING SOON! (Possibly Tuesday Night!)**_


	4. Confrontation

**Chapter Four: Confrontation **

The blonde reaper inches closer to us, his eyes locked crudely on Grell's. Ronald starts his death scythe with steady hands and Grell takes a couple shaky steps back.

"Ronnie, what are you-" He takes a couple more steps back as Ronald breaks into a full run. I step towards the oncoming attack to prevent a huge scene as he nears. I stop instantly, taking in his approach, and wait for the attacker to close the distance.

I pull out my cutlery and begin tossing it roughly at him. He dodges one but the second grazes his cheek, leaving him with a bloody, fair-sized cut on the left side of his face.  
He lunges forward and hops on his lawnmower scythe, riding it closer and closer. Grell whips out his scythe and revs up the illegally enhanced chainsaw. Ronald starts to cackle, leaving Grell and I completely confused as to his true intentions.

"This is not the Ronald you know, Grell. Do not forget that. He is not the same. We have to take him out." I shout from behind him. Grell glances over his shoulder with a sad, hurt look on his face.

"Ronald might be in there somewhere. Don't kill him." He looks back at the charging reaper and rushes towards him with a determined look in his eyes.

Ronald jumps off his ride and stops. Grell freezes, waiting for his junior's next move. His smile wavers and a sad look crosses his eyes.

"Ronnie! It's me, Grell! Your senior?" The young reaper's face contorts and his green eyes glow crimson. His hair changes from its usual blonde to a dirty rust red, leaving him with the eerie look of a bloodthirsty zombie. His skin pales and his nails grow and darken into a deep black, matching mine.

"Wha-What's going on!?" Grell stumbles backward and the new red reaper chuckles.

"What? Not what you expected, Grelly? Am I not who you were looking for?" Ronald's voice was not his, but deeper and foreign.  
It is clear that this monster standing in front of us is not Ronald but a tainted shell of the once energetic, caring young reaper.

He no longer gives off the disgusting rank of reaper but the familiar aroma of death and decay. Had he been killed and reanimated? It would not be the first time something like that has happened, but somehow I doubt that this was the cause of such changes. He is alive, which means he can be killed. Hopefully.

"This is not Ron-."

"I know that!" Grell snaps back at me, turning around to show his tearstained, puffy face. "I know, okay! I just can't hurt him! We have to figure out a way to stop him withOUT killing him." He takes a deep breath to calm himself, trying to keep his anger and frustration from boiling over.

A melancholy look washes over the unusual man's face but is quickly replaced with a cocky grin.

"You think you can save this twit? Ha! Don't make me laugh. He is far too gone for that." The man stands up straighter and run a hand through his thick hair. As his hand moves through his hair, the color shifts a bit. Whatever hair he touched turns blood red. He lets out a deep raspy laugh at Grell's stunned face.

"Who are you? And how did you get Ron's body?" Grell stammers awkwardly as he tightens his grip on his scythe, preparing to attack.

"Oh, that's sad. You don't remember me? What a pity. We only spent weeks together...killing those prostitutes." Grell gasps at the news and the scythe falls from his hands.

"Ma-Ma-Madame Red?" He drops to his knees with tear filled eyes.

The new being in front of him slowly walks over to him, picks up the red headed reapers scythe and rams it through his stomach.

The crimson reaper slumps over on the ground as blood surrounds him, saturating his clothes. His cinematic record starts escaping from his body as Madame Red laughs and hunches over him.

"Let's see your past, my darling Grell."

Scenes of a young boy start playing across the screen. With bright red hair and a smile on his lips in one scene, you would never tell that the boy cried himself to sleep every night in the next. The record shows a ten year old Grell holding hands with a small brunette teenage boy. His brother.

"Oh, come on Grell. Tell me who you like!" The teen laughs.

Grell's cheeks turn pink and he looks into his brothers eyes.  
"You really want to know, Kana?" he says sheepishly as he moves a strand of strawberry colored hair out of his face.

"Yeah!" Kana exclaims, smiling at his younger sibling.

"I like Jasmine." The young Grell smiles wide. Kana's face suddenly reddens and he drops his younger brothers hand angrily.

"How dare you like my girlfriend! She is mine! Who the hell do you think you are?!" he screams.

Grell's eyes well up with tears as he tries to explain himself but the older boy doesn't listen. He raises his hand and slaps young Grell hard across the face and storms away.

The cinematic record skips to a wedding. A sixteen year old Grell sits awkwardly in the pews of a church, awaiting the bride's entrance. Music starts playing and he turns to see the love of his life, dressed in white, walking down the isle. Straight towards his brother.

"Do you take this woman, Jasmine Reigns, as your lawfully wedded wife?" Grell tenses as his brother says I do.

"Do you take this man, Kanaye Sutcliff, as your lawfully wedded husband?" Grell's face lights up as the bride pauses, looks at him with love in her eyes and smiles kindly.

"I do."

Tears rolls down his pink cheeks as his brother rips his heart from his chest and leaves the church, hand in hand, with his one true love.

The next image is of him a few months ago in an old warehouse. His natural crimson hair is covered by the brunette color he used to masquerade as a butler. Screams fill the air as he moves in to slice open the sickly looking prostitute. As he leans over the girl, arms wrap around his chest lovingly. A familiar laugh echoes in the room as Madame Red emerges from behind him.  
"Oh darling, isn't this amazing? I love operating on someone late at night." She flashes a wicked smile and the girl screams as lightening hits. Someone yelling in the room after them catches them off guard.

Grell turns and kisses Madame Red tenderly on the lips before walking out the door. Madame Red gags her victim and slices her open. The scene plays from that fateful night. My master and I arrive and the incident plays before us. As Grell goes in to kill Madame Red, the man standing before me shifts and diverts his attention to me.

"Sad, isn't it? Seeing your own death displayed through someone else's eyes." She takes a couple steps gingerly towards me, adjusting the scythe in her hands. The man's expression softens and tears slide down his face.

"I would not know, seeing as I am a demon and therefore have never died." The odd man's demeanor changes and his body contorts, shifting from man to woman. His height drops two inches, his hair lengthens to his shoulders, and his clothes morph into Madame Red's usual attire. She blinks as she readjusts herself in her new, old body.

"Feels good to be myself again. Well, the new me, that is." She giggles thoughtfully and carefully brings the chainsaw up, cutting it off, and rests it on her shoulder delicately.

While Grell's cinematic record drones on in the background, Madame Red slowly kneels over his lifeless body and moves his blood soaked hair from his face.

"He is now stained in the color he holds so dear." She looks to me with curious tear-filled eyes. "I only wanted to repay the favor." A sad smile creeps on her face as she sets the scythe next to him. She carefully rolls the reaper onto his back and pulls him into her arms.

"Oh, my darling Grell. How I wish things didn't have to end this way." She meticulously brings her hand up to caress his cheek.  
"How I adore you my darling. Why does love always have to hurt." She spits bitterly. Her head drops as tears fall from her cold eyes, landing on Grell's pale cheeks. The tears mix with his blood as it streaks down his face.

The dim light of the cinematic record provides just enough light to witness the unfortunate scene unfolding before me.

"Are you just going to let him die?" I interject, interrupting her crying. She looks up at me with her red eyes puffy and leaking with tears. She pulls Grell's still dying body up and kisses him softly on the forehead.

"Why can't life and love be as easy as death?" She mumbles to herself. Her image wavers slightly and she disappears, leaving Grell to flop to the ground, slamming his head on the concrete.

_Author's Note: Sorry it took forever to post this. I didn't have Wi-Fi... ?:/ Please rate and review! I am currently working on a new story. A RonxOC story that will be coming soon!_


	5. Truth

**Chapter Five: Truth **

***Grell's POV***

Ugh. Why does my body hurt so much? There is someone in the room with me, I can feel it. I slowly open my eyes to reveal the raven butler staring at me from a Victorian chair in the corner of my room. I try sitting up but my head starts spinning and my torso is killing me. I fall back on the bed in defeat and glance at my aching stomach. The sight of a large bloody bandage wrapped around my body makes me woozy and I look away. I try lifting my hand up to move the hair out of my face but my whole body seems to be weighed down.

"What the hell happened last night?" I croak, my throat feeling like I gargled broken glass.

"Specifically, which part are you referring to?" Sebastian remarks nonchalantly.

"Uh...let's start with my injuries. How did I get a hole in my stomach?" Sebastian sat up straighter in the chair and began.

"What do you remember from last night?" He asks coolly.

"The last thing I remember was Ronnie changing into..." I trail off, shocked and horrified about the thought of Madame Red actually still being alive. "Bloody hell! That woman tried to kill me!?" I slowly sit up, ignoring the nauseated feelings and the abdominal pains that make me want to scream. I prop myself up against the headboard, taking sharp gasps in at the huge effort it took to sit up alone.

"Indeed, she did." He looks at me questioningly, a slight smile on his face. He stands and approaches the bedside. "What exactly _are_ your feelings towards Madame Red?" He asks accusingly. I fidget slightly, not wanting to expose my feelings to the raven haired butler.

"Why the bloody hell does it matter? It isn't like-..." The man raises an eyebrow and leans over the bed, making my heart speed up. "Bassy, what are you~...?" Sebastian reaches a hand up and moves some of my disheveled hair out of my face. I can feel my cheeks heat up at the closeness of our bodies. He cracks a smile and tilts his head to the right a little.

"I am just trying to help, Grell. Would you please tell me about the possibly confusing feelings you may have for our Lady in Red." The blush in my cheeks deepens and I look away from the man, the control on my emotions seeming to have vanished. Anger starts to rise as I think of Madame Red trying to kill me. I mean, granted, I _had_ killed the bloody woman at one point but she must have missed the meaning. Sebastian cleared his throat, awaiting my response.

"Oh, sorry Sebby~! I just-..I don't really know what my feelings for the woman are. I don't know if I'll ever know." The man seemed to accept the answer. For now.

"Would you like me to make tea?" He questions, stepping away from the bed. A smile crept on my face at the thought of Bassy making tea just for me.

"That would be amazing~!" Sebastian nods slightly and turns. Just as he was about to leave, I spoke up. "Sebast-chan? Why are you being so nice to me~?" Sebastian gave his wickedly charming half smile and he raised an eyebrow.

"My master ordered me to solve this case in _any_ way possible." He smirks before disappearing.

"It isn't like I couldn't do it." Madame Red remarked, brushing out her hair in the mirror.

"I just don't see you murdering your beloved nephew." She glared at me through the mirror at my comment. She always tries to show how strong she is but in the end, she is just a weak human being. But still, no human being had ever found a way to rip a soul to shreds and yet she accomplished that. Maybe there is something different about her that I am not seeing. I mean, she looks and acts like a regular human being. A weak, pathetic excuse for life although everyone else thinks differently. At dispatch, there are rumors that this woman, this red headed, aunt of an earl, is a merciless killing machine that has no sense of right and wrong. So far, all I am seeing while working this case, is  
an emotional, love struck human who would do anything for her sister's son. How pathetic.

_

Sebastian enters with tea, breaking me from the flashback. "Is everything alright, Grell?" The raven haired man asked, setting the tray of steeping Earl Grey on the nightstand. I turn my attention towards the man.

"Oh yes, my Sebby~!" I remark happily. Sebastian narrowed his eyes at me, not buying my comment.

"It seemed as if something was troubling you." My smile slowly fades and i look away. Sebastian pours two cups of tea and puts sugar in them, handing one to me and taking one for himself. He sat on the edge of the bed, next to me, which made me blush and jump.  
Some of the tea sloshes out of the cup and lands on my bare chest, burning my skin.

"nmh~!" I hum, biting my lower lip in pain. Sebastian immediately set his cup down and took the cup from my hands.

"You really ought to be more careful, Grell." The raven butler remarked, wiping the tea away with a handkerchief. The fabric was soft and his hands were so gentle on me. I watched as he cleaned up the spill and the blood rushed to my face. When Sebastian finally finished, he looked into my eyes and smiled. "How does it feel?" I didn't recognize how close we were until I looked up at him. He was inches away from my face and I could feel his breath on me.

"Um..I'm-I'm fine. Sebastian, um..." The raven butler raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, Grell?" I swallowed down the lump in my throat and looked away.

"Could you.. Um..." Sebastian frowned and tilted his head.

"If something is wrong, please tell me now." I could feel his eyes on me and I reached a hand up, resting it on his shoulder, and pushed him away. He took a breath in, clearly not expecting to be shoved away from someone who always flirts with him. I could feel my face heat up as he picked up him tea and sat in the chair in the corner of the room. What did I do that for? Am I bloody _insane_? Sebby was _right there_, inches from my face, and I just pushed him away?! I glanced at the man observing the tea cup. It didn't feel right though. Something is troubling him.

"Um..Bassy? Is something..._bothering _you?" Sebastian looked from the morbidly decorated tea cup to me. His face seemed like it had aged all of a sudden. His jaw was tightened and his body tense.

"I just can't wrap my mind around Madame Red's reappearance." I took my tea cup in my hands and took a sip. What did he mean by _'can't wrap my head around Madame Red's reappearance?'_ I ran a hand through my hair and decided to finally explain myself.

"Sebastian, I-." Could I do it? Could I really get across my feelings? Do I even know for myself what I truly feel?

"Yes, Grell?" Sebastian's tone seemed worn, as if the conversation is a touchy subject.

"About Angelina.." I cleared my throat and decided it was now or never. "I'm not sure how I really feel about her but-.." Sebastian leaned forward, intrigued.

"How about you start from the beginning Grell." He offered, trying to direct the conversation onto a path that could easily be followed. I straighten myself in bed, the pains in my body calming as my shinigami body healed itself. I set the tea down and played with the covers as I began.

"At dispatch, there was a commotion about a human who had successfully found a way to rip a soul in two. Normally, reapers would not take on long-term cases like this due to the extreme amount of skill that it takes to complete, but this case was different. This so-called 'killing machine' would take the souls on our To-Die list and shred them. It is impossible to collect all the pieces to a soul once it is shredded. It was _our_ duty to take care of the problem. I was assigned to the case due to the 'common interests' of the target and I." Sebastian's brow furrowed and he set his tea down.

"And this target was Madame Red." He stated in clarification. "If it was such a high risk case, why didn't they send someone more _qualified_?" I shifted, slightly annoyed by his comment.

"As I said, Angelina and I were a perfect match. With blood red hair, finding joy in killing, and our eccentric personalities, I was the only one that could understand her. The goal was to take her down with_out _setting her off. We didn't want her knowing what we were up to. I had to be accommodating as well as charming." Sebastian's eyebrow raised and by the look on his face, he seemed to be piecing things together.

"And so she devoted her life to you. That _human_, your _target_, began to have feelings for her soon-to-be murderer." He smirked, clearly understanding the situation now.

"You don't have to put it so harshly, Sebastian!" I huffed, crossing my arms defensively. A smile played wickedly on Sebastian's lips as he stood and crossed to the bed. I watched him as he leaned over and picked up the tray of tea cups and started to exit the room. As he reached the door, he looked over his shoulder at me.

"And that is when you fell in love with your target. _Your_ Angelina. _Your _Lady in Red." At that, he disappeared.

_Author's Note: I am sooo sorry it took me __**forever**__ to write this chapter! I hope you enjoyed! Please favourite, follow, and review!_


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